ἀ- + λήθη
Word
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Word-lemma
Transliteration (Word)
English translation (word)
Transliteration (Etymon)
English translation (etymon)
Century
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Ed.
Quotation
ἀδύνατον, ὡς ἔοικε, τἀληθὲς λαθεῖν
Translation (En)
It is impossible, as it appears, to "forget" what is "true"
Parallels
Plutarchus, Fr. 215g Sandbach (ap. Damascius, In Phaedonem (versio 1) 281) (Ὅτι καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια τὸ ὄνομα δηλοῖ λήθης ἐκβολὴν εἶναι τὴν ἐπιστήμην, ὅ ἐστιν ἀνάμνησις); idem, fr. 217i Sandbach (ap. Damascius, In Phaedonem (versio 2) 28) (Εἰ ἡ ἀλήθεια κατ’ ἀφαίρεσιν τῆς λήθης ἔντευξις τοῦ ὄντος ἐστίν. λογικὴ ἡ ἐπιχείρησις); Sextus Empiricus, Adversus Mathematicos 8.8 (ὅθεν καὶ ἀληθὲς φερωνύμως εἰρῆσθαι τὸ μὴ λῆθον τὴν κοινὴν γνώμην); Orion, Etymologicum, alpha, p. 23 (Ἀληθής, ὁ μὴ λήθη τοῦ δικαίου ὑποπίπτων); Orion, Etymologicum (excerpta e cod. Darmstadino 2773), alpha, p. 612 (ἀληθὴς, παρὰ τὸ λήθω· τὸ μὴ λήθη τοῦ δικαίου πίπτοντος); Hesychius, Lexicon, alpha 2994 (ἀληθής· δικαία ἢ δίκαιος. ἢ μνήμων, κατὰ στέρησιν τῆς λήθης); Theognostus, Canones sive De orthographia 242 (λήθω ἀληθής, in a series of privative compounds); Choeroboscus, De orthographia (epitome) p. 179 (Ἀλήθεια: Τὸ λη η· τὸ θεῖ δίφθογγον· γέγονεν οὕτως· ἔστιν ὄνομα λήθη, ὃ σημαίνει τὴν πλάνην, καὶ διὰ τοῦ α τοῦ στερητικοῦ προελθόντος γέγονεν ἀληθὴς, ὁ μηδένα πλανῶν· τὸ δὲ θει ἐκ τοῦ ἀληθεύω ῥήματος γέγονε); Choeroboscus, Prolegomena et scholia in Theodosii Alexandrini canones isagogicos de flexione nominum (τὸ ἀληθής· τοῦτο γὰρ διὰ τοῦ ηθης ὂν ὀξύνεται, ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἔστι σύνθετον ἀπὸ ὀνόματος, ἀλλ’ ἀπὸ τοῦ λήθω ῥήματος τοῦ σημαίνοντος τὸ λανθάνω καὶ τοῦ ἄ στερητικοῦ ἐπιρρήματος γέγονεν ἀληθής, οἱονεὶ ὁ ἐστερημένος τῆς λήθης ἤγουν τῆς πλάνης· ὁ γὰρ ἀληθὴς οὐδένα πλανᾶ); Etym. Genuinum, alpha 446 (Ἀληθές· τὸ μὴ λήθῃ ὑποπῖπτον τοῦ δικαίου. οὕτως Ὠρίων); Etym. Gudianum Additamenta, alpha, p. 86 (Ἀληθές· παρὰ⸥ τὸ λήθω· τὸ μὴ λήθῃ τοῦ δικαίου ὑποπίπτον); Lexica synonymica, Differentiae verborum 41 (Ἀληθὲς μὲν τὸ μὴ λήθῃ ὑποπίπτον τοῦ δικαίου, τὸ ἐναντίον τῷ ψεύδει); Etym. Magnum, Kallierges, p. 62 (Ἀληθές: Τὸ μὴ λήθῃ ὑποπίπτον τοῦ δικαίου· τὸ ἐναντίον τῷ ψεύδει· ἄληθες δὲ, τὸ κατ’ ἐπερώτησιν λεγόμενον)
The etymology is implicit in Clement of Alexandria, Protrepticus 11.114.1 (Ἀφέλωμεν οὖν, ἀφέλωμεν τὴν λήθην τῆς ἀληθείας); Leontius, Libri tres 1, p. 174 (Ὑμεῖς δέ, ἐπορεγόμενοι τῆς ἀληθείας, ταῦτα μὲν ἔχοιτε “λήθης φάρμακον”)
Comment
The analysis of ἀληθής and its derivative ἀλήθεια as a privative compound of λἠθη "forgetting, oblivion" remained standard throughout centuries, and it is correct by modern standards. The etymology is implicit in Menander, which implies that it is older and was already familiar in his time.It is probably already common in the time of Plato (see Phil. 52b4: Ἀληθῆ τοίνυν λέγεις ὅτι χωρὶς λύπης ἡμῖν λήθη γίγνεται ἑκάστοτε ἐν τοῖς μαθήμασιν; cf. Phaedr. 265a6-10); see also maybe Hecataeus F 3a,264 F 25 (Jacoby). This very tempting association (and implicit etymology) runs throughout the tradition in Christian literature where meaningful co-occurences of the two words appear.